The New World
by TheDoubleDeuced
Summary: Welcome to a future where many different worlds are woven together. Join Jedi Knight Darwin Kwan as he settles into life on his home planet Earth after serving 20 years fighting in another galaxy. Hounded by flashbacks and a secret plot against him and his home, will he survive in the new world?
1. Prologue

The lights were off and the blinds were down when the man stepped into the small office, shutting the door behind him. He could make out the shape of another man sitting behind a desk, but his face was hidden by the darkness.

"You wanted to see me, Sir?" the first man asked with a slight Southern drawl.

"Yes," replied the second man, "Please, have a seat." He pointed to a chair in front of the desk. The first man proceeded to sit on the chair's cold, wooden surface.

"So, what's this about?" the first man asked.

"Oh, nothing that will take too long if that's your concern," the second man answered. "For starters, I just wanted to tell you how much I love the progress your company has made."

"Thank you, Sir, nothing's ever too hard for us to handle."

"That is why I take a great interest in you, every one of you." The second man paused for a second before continuing, "You have carried out tasks for us with remarkable efficiency and I was wondering if it would interest you if your company became one of us."

The first man was surprised. "One of you? You mean, like a merger?"

"Not quite." the second man replied. "Think of it as permanent employment, but with benefits and higher payouts. Not only that, but you'll also get a feeling of significance to the people of the world. More respect, more power. No other clients, just us."

The first man scratched his head. "How much more of a payout are you gonna give us?"

"At least five times the amount we've been paying you."

The first man thought for a moment and then turned around for a few seconds before turning back and responding. "Well, that's a mighty tempting offer and all." He struggled to find the words. "Look, I know you mean well, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I've been asked by many others to be part of something bigger, but my company is independent to the core and it will stay that way. It gives us freedom and wiggle-room."

For a few seconds, the man behind the desk said nothing. Then he asked, "Tell me: is it correct that your second-in-command has passed away?"

"Yes, Sir," responded the first man, "Mark was a real good friend of mine. We were brothers."

"And he thought the same way you did? Favoring independence?"

"Yeah, I mean it was hard when we were the only ones against hundreds of our own employees who want to be subsidized by people like you, especially when there's more money on the table. You see, I started this company to fix the bugs in the changing world, but the thing is, so many of the employees are just in it for the money."

 _What else is new?_ The second man thought to himself. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit.

The first man continued, "I heard that some of them are forming a splinter group and taking on deals without my knowledge. Shady ones if you catch my drift."

The second man changed the subject. "What exactly was it that Mark died of?"

"Liver cancer," the first man replied. "He was diagnosed months ago and had to live with it until a week ago. He died so young, though." The first man's eyes started to fill with tears. "His life was just… cut short. It ain't fair."

"Well, isn't that a shame," said the second man with a hint of sympathy, "I suppose you're carrying this whole company by yourself now, correct?"

"That's right," said the first man as he wiped away the tears, "I haven't really gotten around to finding a new guy."

"Fascinating," said the second man as he opened up a desk drawer.

"Yeah, well, by tomorrow I plan to—

The first man's thoughts were interrupted by a red light shining in his face. It was the last thing he ever saw.


	2. Chapter 1

The morning sun casts its bright, golden rays down on Earth, marking the beginning of a brand new day. Standing close to the edge on the rooftop of his skyscraper-like apartment building, Darwin Kwan watches the gradual rising of the majestic orb of light. Not a single cloud obstructs its brilliance. A soft gentle breeze brushes against his body, ruffling his coffee brown hooded robe and short, jet-black hair. He turns his gaze toward the vast urban sprawl of Trenton, New Jersey, thinking about how much has changed in twenty years.

Darwin unrolls his left sleeve to check his antique watch which displays the time digitally and provides a convenient scientific calculator. He presses and holds a button with a division operator next to it, and sees the numbers: 11 1-36, or January 11, 2036. When people ask him why he hasn't switched to a touchscreen or holographic watch, the answer from Darwin is always the same: "I just like to keep a part of the past with me."

Once the sun has risen halfway, Darwin turns around and strolls toward the elevator behind him and enters it, punching a lit circular button labeled "12". One noticeable change in this society is the increased speed of elevators. Never again will anyone be subject to the torturous, tedious process of standing in a metal box with some cheesy background music intended to "entertain". Twenty years ago, Darwin would have felt sorry for the people who had to go to a floor between the fiftieth and the penthouse in tall structures like this apartment building, which luckily _had_ only fifty floors. Now, it's simply a matter of getting in the car, waiting a few minutes (rather than fifteen at most), and getting out.

Arriving on the twelfth floor, Darwin exits the elevator and strolls down a grand hallway with an exotically-patterned carpet covering the floor and torch-style electric lights lined up on the sand-colored walls. The white stripe running horizontally in the middle of the walls gives them a nice touch. Many apartments nowadays look as fancy as the one Darwin lives in, presumably due to the new business from the frequent immigrations. Looking back at the torch lights, Darwin wonders why the lights weren't more modern. _I guess the interior designers don't want to let go of the past either_ , he thinks.

Stopping at a door labeled 235, Darwin inserts a key into lock below the door handle. After hearing a brief "click", he opens the door inward, entering the room and hanging his robe on a hook near the door. He takes a deep breath and inspects his environment. The corridors of apartment buildings were not the only things that changed; the apartments themselves took on a regal décor that resembled that of five-star hotel suites. Darwin even had a hard time trying to figure out whether he was in an apartment building or Trump Tower. Things have indeed changed. Surprisingly, the monthly rent was fairly inexpensive.

In ten minutes, a steaming Styrofoam cup of instant chicken-flavored Ramen noodles sits on a mahogany table, only to be happily devoured by a ravenous Darwin. He had gotten up very early to watch the sunrise. It had been one of the first Earth sunrises he had watched since he got back from war service. Thinking about it, he turns his head left, toward the wall where the tubular handle of a lightsaber sat on a wooden mantle. The Jedi weapon had been in his possession ever since he accepted the mentorship of one Luke Skywalker during the Galactic Civil War. Memories flooded Darwin's mind.

"What's your name, kid?" asked the blonde-haired stranger.

"Darwin Kwan, Sir," replied Darwin, "Who are you?"

"I'm Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight."

"You mean they're real?" asked Darwin, wide-eyed. He had heard about the epic stories of the Force-wielding peacekeepers with awesome supernatural powers, but never did he imagine that one of them would be standing right before him on planet Earth and not even a block away from his apartment building! "I've heard of them. I wanted to believe they were real, but I didn't really think—

"Well, here's proof," said Luke. He raised his right hand and pointed it to a nearby rock. Closing his eyes and focusing his energy, Luke made it levitate in thin air before the astonished 20-year-old.

"My God." was all Darwin could say.

"You can do it too," Luke told him, "with some training."

"Wait, what?" Darwin's made the dazzled expression disappear from his face. There was no way he could be a Jedi. He didn't know the Force. He couldn't sense anything. And he definitely couldn't wield a lightsaber.

Luke explained, "I felt a presence in the Force coming from somewhere far away from my galaxy—

"How do you know it's me?" Darwin cut him off abruptly.

"The Force led me to you." Luke replied.

"No way. It can't be." Darwin didn't know how to accept it. "I can't move things with my mind. I can't read minds. I can't even feel the Force."

"It's not always noticeable, but Force-sensitivity takes time to develop. I can feel the power flowing through you right now, and you will too."

"With the training?" asked Darwin.

"Especially with the training." Luke confirmed. "I need you to be right and ready if you going up against the Empire."

Darwin's head perked up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up for a sec." He couldn't believe his ears. "Go up against the Empire? Are you talking about a war? Are you trying to send me to war?"

"Not right now considering I just met you and haven't trained you," answered Luke, "And we've got agents here recruiting troops to help us fight—

"WHAT?" Darwin was shocked to know there were Rebels here.

Luke explained, "About one Earth month ago, a shuttle belonging to the Alliance to Restore the Republic crash-landed here after accidentally leaving the galaxy while evading starships of the Galactic Empire. Its occupants settled here for a few months before they were able to establish contact with our home base with help from the people of Earth. Later on, the Rebel Alliance claimed this planet as 'unofficial' territory after talking with one of this planet's leaders, your country's president, I think."

"Oh, yeah, I heard about that crash landing, but I didn't know about those agents." said Darwin, "So the President's allowing them to stay and recruit troops? Why would people here care about a war going on in a galaxy far away?"

The Jedi replied, "They don't. What ended up happening was that your United Nations established a program to send the planet's prisoners to us."

"Prisoners? You mean inmates?"

"Yeah. Apparently your world leaders thought it was a solution for the overcrowded prisons. Of course, this doesn't stop us from letting people sign up."

Darwin was speechless for a moment. It just didn't sound real. Every word that came out of Skywalker's mouth sounded like it came straight out of a sci-fi movie plot. He was willing to believe in the existence of the Jedi, but he thought everything else was sketchy. He got the "what" and the "why", but he wanted to know the "how".

Darwin asked, "How come all of that sounds so far-fetched? How did the rebels even get to this galaxy? Wouldn't they have to travel, like, a very long distance?"

"The first agents came here through one of the black holes in a region of space called The Maw. I went through it soon after and linked up with the Rebel outpost our agents set up. We managed to get long-range communications running to invite other Alliance members to Earth. The information I told you is what they told me. And I think they explained everything publicly." Luke replied.

 _Man, I have got to watch the news more often_ , Darwin thought to himself before asking the Jedi Knight, "So what happens now?"

"I'll have to bring you to my home planet, Tatooine, to begin your training in secret."

"Wait, off-planet?"

"Yes, Tatooine is where the Empire will least expect to find Jedi, and don't worry, I'll keep you safe."

"That's not my concern," said Darwin, "It's just that I'm going to be far away from the rest of my family, and I want to know if they know about this."

He had been living in New York, fresh out of college, for almost a year away from his family. He called them regularly by phone. He was planning to apply for a job as an environmental consultant. As much as it was amazing for Darwin to get actual training from a living, in-the-flesh Jedi Knight, he knew it would mean being further away from his family and his life. If he had to go, he at least wanted a chance to say goodbye.

"I saw to it that your family was notified," Luke told Darwin, "taking your feelings into consideration."

Darwin was glad, but it wasn't enough just yet. "Can I call them, and say goodbye? I have to warn you, it's going to take a while."

"Of course," Luke responded with an earnest smile. "And take all the time you need."

"Thanks," Darwin started walking back towards his apartment building, but turned back to face the Jedi and asked, "Do you want to come inside? I could show you my place, though I bet it's a crappy heap of mess compared to whatever fantastic place you live in."

"I doubt it," Luke replied as he walked towards him.

The years following the completion of Darwin's apprenticeship proved to be very difficult. Upon becoming powerful enough to be dubbed a Jedi Knight, it was almost as if the Civil War was dropped right on top of his head. He participated in skirmishes as a Commander, striking Imperial garrisons, protecting territories, and rallying people to join the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

Soon came a day where he was assigned to a motley squad of Earth citizens. Together they participated in many successful skirmishes, getting them done even more efficiently than Darwin ever could with any other group of regulars. There was something in that group that made them more powerful than the rest. With the permission of the Alliance High Command, he founded one of the most infamous and feared squads that would go down in history pulling its string of successes: The Team.

However, the war nearly took a turn for the worst for Darwin when Imperial military leaders grew crafty. A group of ruthless bounty hunters specialized in incapacitating and dispatching Force-sensitive beings was hired to track down his family and terminate them. Imperial spies provided them with coordinates of Darwin's original home, where his family still lived, allowing the bounty hunters to travel directly to the address on Earth, where they mercilessly proceeded to murder everyone they found. Word of the attack made its way to Darwin. He raced back home only to find the corpses of his family lying face down in a line in the backyard. Defeated, he fell to his knees and wept for them. However, his arrival to Earth was planned as the bounty hunters had been waiting for him. They struck swiftly from well-hidden positions intending to add another body to the line, but unfortunately for the trained killers, Darwin was waiting for _them_.

Five alien corpses lay on the ground in the wake of the Jedi's vengeance. The sensation he felt when his lightsaber severed their heads were none he felt before. It was in this moment when he remembered his master's warnings of anger and hatred, the very things that he showed when he killed the bounty hunters. Darwin took deep breaths and dismissed these sentiments, knowing full well of the consequences if he kept them in for too long. He turned back to the lifeless bodies that were once the most beloved people of his life: his father, mother, little sister, and big brother, then arranged to have them buried properly after reporting the murder to the authorities. With the time he had until the police arrived, he took the opportunity to explore his old home for the first time in years and started tearing up in nostalgia at the old memories.

After the bodies were carried away, a funeral was arranged for Darwin's lost family members. Hours later, the funeral took place in a light drizzle of rain with the rest of the family gathered around. The Jedi knight tearfully delivered a great eulogy to the attendees, and many more tears were shed. Darwin stayed on Earth for another day to mourn before returning to his duties in the Galactic conflict.

Darwin starts to feel dampness on his sleeves and realizes that he had been crying at the memory of his lost family. He quickly raises his left hand towards a tissue box and obtained a tissue with the Force. As the tears remaining on his face are wiped up, Darwin becomes surprised at how wet the tissue had become after drying his eyes.

He looks up at the digital clock reading 7:25 AM on the wall right of him and suddenly remembers that he has a meeting at 8 o'clock sharp in New York. He stands up and dashes to the bathroom to freshen up. After all, he can't simply go out in the public with an unwashed face, especially one that just had tears running down it.

Grabbing his robe from the hook and heading out the door, he thinks to himself: _If I take the train, I'll be there in no time_. Taking the elevator to the ground floor, Darwin heads out through the double glass doors to be welcomed by the fresh air of the city of Trenton. Society has done a good job with improving environmental conditions, especially with making the air cleaner in cities. The Jedi could remember the times when he was a teen visiting the urban areas in New Jersey where gray smoke blanketed the skies. As his mind jumps back to the task at hand, Darwin concludes that he should be able to get to the station in at least seven minutes walking at a decent pace.

A few blocks down on the other side of the street, Darwin can spot a five-floor building bearing the flag of what the once-called Alliance to Restore the Republic, now called the New Galactic Republic. Next to it stands an identical building bearing the flag of the United Galactic Alliance. To Darwin, they were two more reminders of how the world has changed.

After the Galactic Civil War ended and the Empire was defeated, the rebels brought back freedom and democracy. There was no further need to enlist Earth troops, but the New Republic kept the planet a "territory". Concern swept through Earth politicians, worrying that they would be subject to new policies and legislation. Fortunately, the Republic Senate agreed to a benign neglect policy towards Earth, which meant minimal to no military intervention and regulation in its promise to not take up the role of the Empire. In fact, no garrison was left on the planet, only an ambassador. All of Earth's leaders enthusiastically agreed.

However, a problem arose when it was discovered that an Earth citizen, Lilo Pelekai, had secretly been the planet's representative to the United Galactic Alliance present in Earth's galaxy. Tensions grew between the Alliance and the Republic over who would "own" Earth, but Representative Pelekai and Senator Mon Mothma were able to arbitrate a deal for the two galactic governments to share Earth, with the Republic having less of an influence. After the conflict was resolved, the galactic governments began a growing friendship. The Galactic Alliance, like the New Republic, left an ambassador.

Later on, a planetary government would be established, with an elected Chancellor and Vice-chancellor, to preside over issues of entire planet and act as its sole leaders. Even later, a Senate was formed, consisting of all the leaders of nations wishing to be represented. From that point on, the planetary government was called the United Nations of Planet Earth, or UNPE.

The planet, following the new developments intergalactic relations, underwent dramatic changes. The great big world just had to grow even bigger. In early 2019, long-duration space travel became possible, opening up the ocean of black matter to exploration for astronomers and scientists everywhere on Earth. Starships soared through the stars, going as far as the Republic's galaxy, who later agreed to trade with the planet. Earth, once considered the least advanced of all the other planets with advanced civilization, grabbed the attention of many intergalactic neighbors, who all began to ask for trade. However, without any sort of organized military to deal with possible intergalactic threats, the people of Earth felt vulnerable. A space navy was developed in early 2020 along with the planet's first space-marine corps, called Earth Force, whose purposes were to defend Earth against invasions, serve as protection for space exploration teams, and, if need be, invade enemy planets. These marines would play an important role in assisting the Republic during the Dark-Light Wars.

The Republic, recognizing the growth and power of the new planetary government, gave Earth total independence and to this day remains an ally.

Now standing across from the New Republic embassy, Darwin looks up at the emblem on the billowing flag. Images flashed through his head: the polished white armor of the rushing Stormtroopers, the red cross-firing lasers, the fiery explosions of artillery barrages, the sight of falling and flaming snow speeders, the scores of rebel soldiers collapsing from rapid enemy laser-fire, the black fearsome mask of Lord Vader, and the tired and scarred faces of his comrades of The Team after a difficult victory. Shaking his head, the Jedi shrugs it off and continues walking.

Approaching a newsstand, Darwin grabs a paper and hands fifty cents to the vendor.

"Thank you, have a nice day," says the vendor in a monotone.

"You too," replies Darwin in a more cheerful tone as he starts walking again.

He flips through the headlines searching for interesting news reports, to no avail. Article titles such as "Retired Cop Murdered", "City Mayor Arrested for Embezzling $500,000", "Mass Shooting at Local Elementary School", and "Military Contractor Executive Mysteriously Disappears" dominated the newsprint pages. Similar tragic articles occupied the last newspaper he read before he left Earth.

 _I guess there are some things that just never change,_ Darwin thinks with a sigh.


End file.
